A woman who filmed a young girl driving a car through an Aberdeenshire village has been ordered to carry out 134 hours of unpaid work.
Sophie-Leigh Gemmell, 32, previously admitted culpable and reckless conduct after letting the child – aged under 10 – drive the vehicle through Crimond in bad weather.
Footage of the incident, which happened on 10 July 2024, was seen on social media.
It showed the girl driving in the dark while peering over the steeling wheel as music plays and Gemmell cheers.
At Peterhead Sheriff Court on Monday, Gemmell was handed a community payback order (CPO) with 12 months to complete the unpaid work.
Sheriff Alan Sinclair branded her actions “reckless in the extreme”, but said a custodial sentence would have been “disproportionate”.
The court heard she had no previous criminal record.
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Sheriff Sinclair said Gemmell and the girl were “very fortunate” not to have suffered more serious consequences, adding that allowing a child to operate machinery could have caused injury to both the occupants of the car and the wider public.
The sheriff said filming the incident “defies any reasonable explanation”.
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Gemmell’s lawyer explained his client had difficult family circumstances and was the victim of domestic abuse.
He said her behaviour was an attempt at “levity” during a “dire” time for the family.
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The defence agent said Gemmell admitted her “behaviour was completely foolish” and a result of “poor decision-making”.
He said she wished to apologise to the court and showed “genuine remorse” for her actions and an “acceptance” that the “behaviour was wrong and a willingness to accept that”.
The lawyer added that Gemmell “appreciates and understands this is a serious matter” that “could have had serious consequences” and that she recognised she deserves to be punished for her actions.
